The Ministry of Education has taken a bold step to solve management crisis in primary and junior schools.
In a surprise move Ministry led by Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba has adopted the proposals of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) that recommends joining the two institutions into one.
The PWPER proposals also put primary and junior schools under one management.
The reform team recommended joining the two institutions into one Comprehensive school.
It proposed the Comprehensive schools to be headed by one principal and two deputy principals, one incharge of primary and another for junior.
CS Ogamba now says the junior school teachers will continue to work under primary school headteachers who are also currently doubling as principals for junior schools in acting capacity.
Speaking when he appeared before the Senate on Wednesday 1st October 2025, Ogamba says currently the junior schools are operating in line with the recommendations of the education reform team.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) recently directed appointment of one junior school teacher to act as deputy principal signaling adoption of the PWPER proposals.
The Commission has proposed a structure in which the institution will be headed by a principal, assisted by two deputies: one for the primary section and one for the junior school.
Ms Antonina Lentoijoni, the TSC Director of Staffing, revealed this information when answering questions from senators during a meeting in Mombasa.
However the new management structure will require legal amendments to take effect.
“We actually have a challenge there. Even our junior school teachers do not respect the heads, especially when they know that they are P1 trained teachers. But this is a transitional period. Before the laws are enacted to recognise comprehensive schools, the primary school headteachers are still in charge of the junior school,” she added.
She was responding to the vice chairperson of the Senate Education Committee, Prof. Margaret Kamar, who had asked how the TSC handles issues that arise between primary school heads and junior school teachers.
“Until that happens, our headteachers are helping us, and they have guidelines on how to handle the situation. But at the moment, they are assisting us with junior school matters,” she said.
CS Ogamba had said plans are underway to reform junior schools to address a series of challenges facing the new level of education, including issues of independence, staffing and the structural framework.
He told the Senate that the Ministry is committed to reviewing the junior school system in order to respond effectively to concerns raised by teachers, parents and lawmakers.
Despite his acknowledgement that government is currently operating junior schools in line with the recommendations of the PWPER, Ogamba said consultations are still ongoing.
“The process of reforming Junior Secondary to respond to any emerging concerns is in progress. At the appropriate time, Parliament will be presented with proposals for its consideration,” Mr. Ogamba explained.
Junior school teachers have been pushing for autonomy of the institution including in countrywide demonstrations held last week.
The teachers say the junior schools are badly managed by the primary school Heads of Institutions (HOIs).
The teachers want the institution to be independent with own school administrators.
This they say will not only lead to prudent use of school resources but clear way for their own career progression.
The Cabinet Secretary also responded to a question from Senator Joe Nyutu (Murang’a), who had sought clarification on why some JSS teachers were being compelled to handle subjects outside their area of expertise.
Mr. Ogamba noted that the competency based curriculum had introduced new learning areas that did not strictly align with existing teacher specialisations.
However, he reassured Senators that steps had been taken to bridge the gaps.
“All teachers in Junior School have undergone retooling to fully equip them with the necessary pedagogical skills to handle the new curriculum. The retooling exercise covered both pedagogy and content in all learning areas,” he said.
He added that the Government had prioritised targeted recruitment and deployment of teachers in critical subjects.
“In the latest recruitment drives, teachers of sciences, mathematics and technical subjects were given priority to address the shortages in those key areas,” he explained.
Senators also pressed the Cabinet Secretary on the state of learning facilities in JSS, particularly practical spaces such as laboratories and workshops.
Mr. Ogamba acknowledged the gaps but pointed out that significant efforts had been made to strengthen infrastructure.
He cited the construction of 23,000 classrooms across the country and directed schools lacking purpose-built laboratories to repurpose existing facilities for practical learning.
“Currently, schools without dedicated laboratories have designated rooms equipped to support practical components. We have instructed Junior Schools to use their infrastructure repair, maintenance and improvement allocation to establish laboratories. This allocation provides Ksh.4,000 per learner annually,” the CS stated.
